Preview

Manipulation in Macbeth

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
849 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Manipulation in Macbeth
Mac-nipulation

In William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth", manipulation is a very effective device. The main character Macbeth is a puppet controlled by the words coming from the three witches and Lady Macbeth. The four troublemakers provide Macbeth with the motivation and confidence he needs to kill Duncan and perform other dark actions. Macbeth is very ambitious; there’s no doubt about this. However, there is no sign of him changing from a loyal man to a power hungry man. That is until outside influences begin to interfere with his life. The people with the greatest impact on Macbeth are his wife, Lady Macbeth and the witches. However, he then learns to manipulate others himself. In the end, all the treachery is revealed and he realizes that he has been a pawn in this whole scheme of achieving absolute power.

Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband on two occasions. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be, what thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness, to catch the nearest way: thou woulds’t be great:” (I, v). First she flatters Macbeth and soothes his early fears of committing these dreadful acts. During the party she uses her most powerful persuasion, as she begins to question Macbeth’s honor and manhood by saying that he is less of a man if he fails in killing Duncan. Macbeth feels so much shame that he’s convinced that it is right for him to take action. If it weren’t for Lady Macbeth’s harassment, Macbeth would have never gone down this awful road that has an inevitable dead-end. However, the witches are at the roots of all this manipulation.

The witches are the first to raise the possibility of Kingship and persuade Macbeth to act on it. “All hail Macbeth; hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth; hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth; thou shat be King hereafter.”(I, iii) The witches are polite towards Macbeth. They all hail to him, showing respect and flattery. They then offer him a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Lady Macbeth is an influence on her husband in many different ways, for many different reasons. The reader discovers that as soon as she opens her husband’s letter she immediately begins to scheme and plot, showing her true evil and aspiration. One is immediately aware that she wants Macbeth to become King so she can solemnly become Queen of Scotland. She is unsure whether Macbeth is too kind and without the evil that needs to merge with his already prominent ambition. As said in her famous soliloquy, “I fear…is too full’o the milk of human kindness, to catch the nearest way,” For this reason, she influences him greatly into the prospect of murdering the king. The thought of becoming Queen pushes her and causes her to act outrageously. Macbeth is slightly doubtful of her plan to kill the King, however Lady Macbeth subtly bombards him…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although the witches put the idea of power in Macbeth’s mind, his wife, Lady Macbeth, acts as a much-needed cheerleader in convincing Macbeth to go through with their diabolical plan. Lady Macbeth taunts Macbeth continuously after he confesses his fear that the plan may not yield the results they crave, but “screw [Macbeth’s] courage to the sticking-place, and [they’ll] not fail” (1.7.60-61). The absence of Lady Macbeth’s vindictive dialogue would have kept Macbeth in an internal battle. Lady Macbeth refuses to let her husband abandon the plan, even though he attempts to do so. She makes sure that the evil inside Macbeth triumphs over whatever good intent lived inside him before the murder of Duncan.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Macbeth” a text written by William Shakespeare set in 11th century that follows a Scottish thane and his rise to the throne as a result of many cases of manipulation.According to the natural order which was the law of the times a king was chosen by god and the title should not be allowed to be obtained by want for it.The first instance of manipulation in the text comes from the witches when they announce that he will soon become king as well as thane of Cawdor.”All hail,Macbeth,hail thee,Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!”.When Macbeth is named “Thane of Cawdor” shortly after a seed is planted in Macbeth's mind that it may be possible for the throne to become his.He soon realizes that he would need to…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first two acts of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth shows herself to be a formidable woman with aspirations and a plan. She is clear about her desire to become Queen of Scotland and by way of her internal conversation, she plans her manipulation. By knowingly manipulating Macbeth and applying consistent pressure, Lady Macbeth executes her plan. She encourages Macbeth to see killing King Duncan as the only logical next step to fulfill the prophecy. Lady Macbeth’s intent, blatant disregard for life, and emotional manipulation of her husband make her morally responsible for the murder of King…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Macbeth is firstly a soldier. At the beginning of the play he is shown fighting the Norwegians. The sergeant reports to King Duncan ‘Brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name’ he then says that Macbeth has ‘unseamed’ Macdonwald ‘from knave to chops’ and placed his head on the battlement. From this we can tell that Macbeth is a violent and aggressive warrior, however, Duncan says ‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentlemen’. Macbeth is well thought of. By the end of the play Macbeth has changed status and is king. However, unlike Duncan he is not gracious or kind; he has become wrapt up in his newfound power and lacks ability to govern the country. He has become inhuman and so lacks compassion and he could not react, even to his wife’s death. Ultimately, Macbeth ends up in the same sorry state as Macdonwald – beheaded. In this essay I will look at how this change happens in Macbeth through his relationships with Lady Macbeth and the Witches.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth exhibit a greater capacity for evil than her husband Macbeth. Shortly after reading the letter sent to her from Macbeth, Lady Macbeth says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be/What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature./It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness” (1, V, 14-16). Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth isn’t as ruthless as herself and he doesn’t have the drive to do evil, so Lady Macbeth is going to persuade Macbeth into doing the unspeakable. Without Lady Macbeth’s evil schemes and her pressuring Macbeth to Kill King Duncan, Macbeth wouldn’t have done such an evil deed. Although Lady Macbeth has proven her tremendous capacity for evil with her persuasion of…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theme of manipulation played an important role in the play Macbeth, by Shakespeare. Macbeth was manipulated by several characters in the play in order to kill the king Duncan. For example, the witches manipulated Macbeth’s mind by telling him he will become the king of Cawdor, which he was already the king of Cawdor unbeknownst him. Then the witches told him that he is going to be the king of Scotland which that was impossible because the king Duncan has an inheritor his son Malcolm. Then when Macbeth knew that he became the king of Cawdor as what the witches wish. When Lady Macbeth heard what the witches predict become true, she starts to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan but he refused to…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth to do things he knows are wrong. Lady Macbeth often challenges Macbeth's manliness, forcing him into situations that are against his morals.\ Macbeth does not want to kill Duncan he wants to continue serving as Thane, but Lady Macbeth is persistent, she begins trying to question is manliness,If Lady Macbeth did not questioned Macbeth’s love for her along with Macbeth's manhood , he would not have killed Duncan and Macbeth would have been able to carry on his life normally as a thane. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to consider the murder and then is able to force him to do it.…

    • 105 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Choices Analysis

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages

    She exploits Macbeth by influencing him to do immoral decision to kill King Duncan. These decisions lead to his downfall. As Macbeth is thinking why Duncan is a good King, Lady Macbeth enters and says “Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life / And live a coward in thine own esteem.” (1.7.40-45).She calls Macbeth a coward for not wanting to kill Duncan. She intends to manipulate Macbeth by humiliating his manhood. She uses her knowledge on Macbeth’s lack of bravery to her advantage. The influence of Lady Macbeth helps Macbeth come to the conclusion that he must kill Duncan. The murder is the error of Macbeth that makes him a tragic hero. In a tragedy, a tragic hero dies because of the error they make. Later in the play Macbeth fears that his throne is in danger, Lady Macbeth response is, “But in them nature’s copy’s not eterne” (3.3.43). This is Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth that the ones he fears will soon die. However, she only says this to distort Macbeth’s instinct, preventing him from following his beliefs. Macbeth’s lack of understanding that Lady Macbeth controls their relationship blinds him from seeing her manipulative approach. . She will do anything to get what she wants, even deconstruct gender roles .In the 16th century this is uncommon since men usually control the actions of a women since that is part the social construction in that period of…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The three witches profuse Macbeth’s prophecy to him, “First Witch- All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee. Thane of Glamis!…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Lady Macbeth instigating masculine qualities within Macbeth to kill Duncan results in Macbeth’s tyrant like nature. When Macbeth is no longer willing to follow through the plan of murdering Duncan, Lady Macbeth changes his opinion by convincing him of being a man, she states, “What beast was’t then That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.” (I, VII, 52-56). Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by defining characteristics of a man which lead him to perform riskful tasks that otherwise he would not have done. Likewise, Lady Macbeth truly manipulating Macbeth can easily be recognized when she receives the letter and describes Macbeth, “It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness” (I, V, 16). Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth is too innocent to kill Duncan, this is why she is determined to build up a destructive type of courage in Macbeth; otherwise, Macbeth would have remained the same and most likely would not have considered killing the king. Moreover, Lady Macbeth constantly assures Macbeth to go further towards his crimes when he is in a stage of doubtfulness. When Macbeth is insecure about their plan to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth says, “We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking place, And we’ll not fail.” (I, VII, 66-68). This is a straightforward response of Lady Macbeth possessing courage of not only pushing herself forwards, but also Macbeth to a crime that neither have committed before. One can also observe Lady Macbeth’s assurance on Macbeth when he hallucinates Banquo’s ghost and is very confused as to why no one else sees it. Lady Macbeth simply says it is his personal hallucination, “This is the very painting of…

    • 1961 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth there is a lot of manipulation. Have you ever been manipulated? Shakespeare’s play focus’ a lot on manipulation, and how it can change a lifestyle completely. Hopefully it hasn’t been in the same way manipulation appears throughout the story. Have you ever been manipulated to kill? Or accused of killing? How about witches telling you your fate, but not saying it clearly? Macbeth experiences all of these things throughout the play.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the opening of the play, Lady Macbeth acts as an extremely manipulative individual who essentially controls her husband's actions. This is evident through the plot and ultimately the death of King Duncan. From the beginning, as soon as she has word of the witches’ prophecies, she starts plotting Duncan’s murder. Lady Macbeth targets Macbeth’s weak mind and his lack of initiative, “Art thou afraid to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would. (3.7.35-44)” Through intimidation and criticism , Lady Macbeth orchestrated Macbeth’s transformation into a monster. Initially Macbeth was portrayed as a noble person and an independent thinker. He was a loyal subject of Duncan and a friend to Banquo. However, his desire to be king proved to be another flaw that Lady Macbeth exploited. His ambition was his downfall as he would do anything, including committing murder, to become king. In essence, the quote introduces a pivotal theme of the play:…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    To begin with, Macbeth is greatly influenced by Lady Macbeth. She “is depicted by Shakespeare as an equal of Macbeth in the realm of ambition and ruthlessness; without her, in fact, Macbeth's courage may never have reached the ‘sticking-place’” (Moss & Wilson 7). She convinces him to commit the murder of King Duncan, as well as convinces him that murder is the only way to achieve their ambition. Rather than listening to his own conscience, which tells him to “...proceed no further in this business” (Shakespeare I.VII.34), Macbeth allows his wife to manipulate and convince him by accusing him of not being a man and expresses that she would “...dashed the brains out...”…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    To take away a man’s freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he were a puppet and not a person.” – Madeleine L’Engle. In William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, A brave Scottish General named Macbeth is trying to take the throne of Scotland, however he kills people to reach his goal, with the help of his wife Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth encourages and manipulates Macbeth to use his power for violence against pothers to get the throne of Scotland.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics